The Elite
by SarahcaCrane
Summary: A fan-made sequel to Kiera Cass' The Selection, which leaves off exactly where it left off. Hopefully this story will be finished before the actual sequel comes out and can help keep your need for more of the series at bay during the wait.
1. Chapter 1

The Elite

Summary: My own sequel to Kiera Cass' _The Selection_. 35 girls entered the castle, but only six remain in the fight for the crown.

Chapter One: The Beginning

I pulled back my covers and leapt into the morning (*). The sun seemed to be shining brighter than it ever had since my stay at the castle began; perhaps it just felt that way due to my need to go back to sleep. Twenty-nine girls have gone home, yet I am left standing as one of the six Elites. My night had been filled by images of the girls who had already been sent home. They all were here to win, but I was still pining over my ex-boyfriend. I felt like I had taken something from them; I had a place as a member of the Elite while they were sent home.

If someone had told me before the Selection that I would actually like, let alone be falling in love with, the "stiff and boring" Prince Maxon, I would have called them crazy. Now that I'm here, it's hard to imagine a life without him, but my heart still aches towards Aspen, and I don't think that it will ever stop. Sometimes I think it would just be easier to go home now.

Quickly the door to my room burst open and my three maids bustled in. Ushering me into the large washroom, the girls stripped me of my nightclothes and filled the tub with lavender scented water. Today they worked almost silently, only instructing me to turn my head occasionally. Thankfully none of them asked yet about my seemingly foul mood and hopefully they wouldn't bother at all.

"Alright, which of the dresses do you like better?" Anne said, holding up two extremely beautiful day outfits. The first was my usual blue, which I normally favor, and had silver sequences running down the side. The second was the new color I had taken to wearing, red, which had a more stunning or eye catching appeal to it.

"I think I'll just stick to the blue today," I smile.

Mary snickered and leaned closer to Anne, "I told you so!"

"Oh hush," Anne replied with a bitter twist in her voice.

The three maids carried on and prepared me for the day. Looking in the mirror I examined myself. Somehow the girls managed to make me look beautiful, while I still looked like me. I was always thankful for that; I don't know what I would be like if I didn't look at least somewhat like who I am.

Maybe I did look different, but I just didn't see it. When my family watches me on the Capitol Report, do I still appear the same to them? Do they recognize me? Sometimes I think it would be easier to just go home, instead of staying here in this mess I've made.

"Lady America, are you alright?" Lucy asked. There it was, the question I didn't want to answer.

My head snapped in her direction, "What? Oh, oh yes. I'm fine, I was just… thinking."

They nodded their heads, knowing not to question me further. It was still nice to have my mood acknowledged, unlike at home.

"If you don't hurry, you'll be late for breakfast, Ma'am!" Anne exclaimed, suddenly realizing we had somehow fallen behind schedule. The thought of me being late probably scared all three of them to bits; none of them wanted people to think that they weren't able to do their job and get ready quickly in the morning.

Taking one last look in the mirror, I nodded and exited the washroom. Slipping on a pair of simple white flats I opened the door.

"Lady America," Aspen greeted me.

A lump grew in my throat as I gave him a weak smile, "Officer Leger."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Hardly," I replied.

"That's too bad," his voice was strained as if it pained him to speak to me. Then again, I'm one to talk; I can barely look at him now.

A mumbled a goodbye and made my way down to the dining hall. Being in such close proximity to the man I used to be, no still am, in love with has left me with a large pain in chest. Does the infirmary wing here have any medicine that can get rid of that for me? Even if they did, it probably wouldn't work, since the pain isn't physical.

It wasn't until I reached the dining hall that I noticed how quite it was in the palace now. Was it always this silent here? Without the loud noise of clacking heels and girly gossip it almost felt eerily creepy.

The tables had been rearranged from the original blocky U shape. Instead there was only one large circular table for the Elite and the Royal Family. It looked like I was the second to last person to arrive, Celeste, of course, coming after me.

The King and Queen were sitting together, with Maxon next to his father. Kriss sat the closest to Maxon and Marlee after her. Elise was in between the Queen and Nathalie, so I took the seat next to Marlee. I nearly groaned as I realized that Celeste would have to take the seat to my left, which was exactly how I wanted to spend my morning.

Shortly after I sat down the distinct sound of a pair of high heels was heard. Celeste was making her entrance. The door opened and she sent a seductive smile in Maxon's direction. Flipping her long brown hair, which was not pinned up for a change, she made her way to the table. Her smile faltered into a grimace as she realized that all the 'good' seats were already occupied and she would have to sit between Nathalie and me.

"Did you all sleep well, Ladies?" Queen Amberly asked as the servers came to pour drinks.

"Yes, very well, Your Majesty," we all replied. I hoped that no one would notice that I was lying.

Of course Maxon would notice, "Lady America, you don't look well. Are you alright?"

I nodded my head, "Ye-yes, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Maxon stared at me, almost suspiciously, for another second, before Celeste pulled his attention over to her.

"Prince Maxon, how have you been? I feel like any of us have hardly seen you lately!"

"I've been well, just busy. It was not my intention to... neglect any of you," he responded with a slightly forced smile.

The conversation continued for a while longer. As dinner neared its end I glanced over at Maxon. He was staring at me. Slowly he brought his hand up to his ear, as if scratching an itch and I returned his motion. A small, genuine smile crept its way onto his face.

Time seemed to drag on at a snail's pace and I just wanted to return to my room for some peace and more sleep. Finally King Clarkson dismissed us and we all filed out of the room one by one.

The Elite had the entire day to themselves, since we started our new classes tomorrow morning. I wasn't particularly excited about more classes; I already had enough trouble in our current lessons. My mother tried her best, but there was no way her knowledge was as good as a Two's teacher. Let's not forget how I had absolutely no idea about the duties of the royal family, besides the whole running the country thing.

Quickly I made my way to my room, hoping to get some sleep before Maxon showed up at my door. Thankfully Aspen wasn't on duty by this point, so there was no one I had to pretend to be happy in front of. The moment my head hit the pillow, I was asleep.

A/N: So, I hope you at least liked the beginning of this story! I am hoping to have all 20 chapters of this story finished before Kiera Cass' actual The Elite comes out. Hopefully you will bear with me while I write and publish this, which, of course, will never be as good as what is to come from the actual series. If you enjoyed it, then please give me a review. I'm always open to suggestions!

(*) That was the last line of The Selection; I didn't write it.


	2. Chapter 2

The Elite

35 girls entered the castle, but only six remain in the fight for the crown.

Chapter Two: Wrong or Right?

Chapter Song: Like We Used To by Rocket to the Moon

A knock at my door woke me from my dreams. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes I walked to open the door. Maxon was standing there with a large smile on his face.

"My Dear," he greeted.

"How many times have I told you that I am not your 'dear'?" I can't help but smile a little bit too, his smile was too infectious.

"So you say, but I know you'll come around," he then walked by me to look around my room, "You still haven't changed anything."

"I don't plan to either," I reply as I push the door closed; I don't want any of the girls walking past to see Maxon in my room.

"Are you going to tell me the truth about what happened at breakfast, or are you just going to pretend like you're fine?" He asked as he plopped himself down on my bed. His usually well-kept blonde was slightly messy today, which was something I had never seen before. I hated to admit it, but he did look really good like that.

"I have no idea what you mean; I am perfectly fine," I answer, "Now, why'd you tug your ear at me?"

He laughed slightly at my answer, "I wanted to be sure you were alright."

I sat down next to him and didn't reply. We stayed like that for a few more minutes, until he spoke again, "It was him, wasn't it? You were thinking about your ex-boyfriend."

Slowly I nodded my head, "Yes."

Maxon sat up straighter and looked me right in my eyes. In less than a second his lips were on mine, it was as if he was asking, no begging, me to forget the guy who broke my heart, forget Aspen, forget the guard who stands in front of my door each night. Of course Maxon only knew him as the guy who broke my heart and I planned to keep it that way.

This was my first kiss with Maxon that I felt something like urgency. For what felt like the hundredth time I compared my kisses with Maxon and Aspen. Usually Maxon's kisses were soft and shy, but this time it was like he was desperately trying to convince me of something: maybe that I was the one he wanted to marry.

Finally we broke apart. A smile played on both of our lips before they met again. My fingers slowly moved up to run into Maxon's hair. This was one of the rare times where I could honestly imagine a future without Aspen; I could imagine a life where I was married to the Prince of Illea.

"Is this the only reason you tugged your ear?" I whispered as I leaned against his chest. Why he is so muscled, even though he does deskwork, still confuses me to no end.

"What? No! I had other reasons, but this is nice too," he kissed my forehead.

"Those reasons are?" I quirked an eyebrow.

Maxon sighed while running his fingers through his blonde hair. He flopped down on my bed and said, "I-I honestly don't know: I guess you're just way too easy to talk to."

A forced smile stretched across my lips as I sat down next to him. Despite myself my mind wandered back to Aspen and how bad of a person I must be for loving him. "What is it you need to talk about? Too much paperwork?"

He didn't laugh.

"There is a Report on tonight, and I just know that they're going to ask me why I haven't made a decision yet, but I don't have an answer!"

Because the answer was me: He being upset is my doing.

"I'm sorry," I whispered as I played with a strand of Maxon's hair. And I was sorry, sorry that I was causing him pain. I was sorry that he loved me, but just outside my door stood a guard who I was still, at least a little bit, in love with.

"It's not your fault, America," he said as if he knew exactly what I was thinking, which had to be completely impossible.

We stayed like that for what felt like a lifetime before he finally sat up.

"I should go and get ready," he announced as he got on his feet.

"Goodbye then," I replied.

Just as he was about to leave, he spun around on his heels and kissed me full force.

"For good luck," he smiled against my lips. With that he exited my room.

As the door was shutting my eyes caught Aspen's. I swallowed the lump that had grown in my throat.

Not much later my maids arrived and proceeded to start to prep me for the report.

Lucy, Mary, and Anne chatted about any bit of gossip that they could think of and I chimed in occasionally. My mind kept wandering back and forth between Maxon the prince and Aspen the guard. My heart must have been twisting in knots by that point and it took everything in me to not let my emotions show to my maids. I could never tell them about Aspen: it would tear them to bits. Even now it astounds me how much they want me to be queen.

"There, you look perfect, Lady America!" Anne cooed and the other girls nodded their heads in agreement.

I looked at myself in the mirror. She was right, I looked absolutely perfect. My hair fell in red ringlets that framed my face, which had light makeup on. My new blue dress ruffled all the way to the floor. I looked breathtaking... I looked like a princess.

"And now for the part of The Report you have all been waiting for!" Gavril smiled brightly at the crowd. It was amazing how well he was able to control an audience. How can anyone be that comfortable in front of a camera? "Tonight I will interview both Prince Maxon and the lovely Elite!"

Gavril stood up from his seat and waved Maxon over, "Come on down Your Majesty!"

Maxon gave a curt smile and walked over to the seat next to Gavril. They sat down next to each other and the interview began.

"Alright, I'll start with the obvious question: Why haven't you made a choice between these beautiful women yet?"

The blond prince laughed nervously, "Well, it is a very difficult and life changing decision, don't you think?"

Gavril nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, I suppose it is. But at least tell me that you have a favorite so far!"

Maxon's eyes flicked towards me for the briefest of moments before he answered, "There is one, but I have to be sure. After all I'm not only picking a wife for myself, I am also choosing a queen for this country."

"Would you mind sharing with the lovely people watching who that one is?"

"Now, I don't be that would be appropriate just yet, Gavril."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Gavril fake sighed in a pitiful way.

The interview ended after only a few more exchanges of words. It was now the Elites' turns to be interrogated.

Celeste went first. As usual she tried to show as much cleavage as possible , it was like she was trying to flash Maxon... and all of Illea. Her answers almost made it sound like she and Maxon had done much more than what is appropriate. It was obviously a lie. Right?

These interviews were much like our first, except longer and a bit more personal. One of the main differences was when the question "Have you and Maxon kissed yet?" was asked, the reply was always "Yes," followed by a blush and a shy look at the Prince.

All too soon Marlee sat back down next to me and I was called to the seat. Gulping I stood up and took shakily nervous steps towards Gavril. Carefully I sat down and took a deep breath. I smiled as best as I could, trying to make it believable that I wasn't screaming on the inside.

"So, Lady America, have you kissed our beloved prince?" Of course that just had to be his first question.

"A few times," I dared not sneak a glance at the boy in question.

"Ooh, care to elaborate?" he said, just as he had with the other five girls.

"I believe that would be much too awkward, because I know my father is watching . My first answer probably already made him choke while my mother and sister squeal," I smiled jokingly.

Gavril laughed, "Well, I don't want to give the poor man a heart attack! How different is it being an Elite?"

I immediately knew the answer, "Well, it's quieter, we sit at a smaller table to eat now, there's less of a chance that you'll have the same dress as another girl, and it all feels more... real now."

"The most important change is obviously the wardrobe issue. Am I right?" he joked.

"Yes, obviously!" I agreed.

"Well, how about you tell the audience a bit about your family? Do you have any siblings?"

"Yes, I'm the middle of five. There's Jenna, the oldest, who is pregnant with her first child. Kota comes next and he's the in demand sculptor now. Then there's me. May is my younger sister," I pause and look straight in the camera, "who I am very disappointed in at the moment for making me lose a bet. Gerard is the baby … he likes soccer and bugs."

Gavril put his hand up, "I was going to say something about how wonderful your siblings sound, but now I am I far more interested in your bet that you lost. Care to elaborate?"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Maxon laughing and barely keeping his stony posture intact, "I made a bet with the dear Prince Maxon that the strawberry tarts that are served in the castle could make May cry," I explained before turning to the camera as if I was tlooking right at my sister, "Here's a life lesson May: When at the end of my letter I write something like 'May, couldn't you just cry because of how good these tarts are?' it means you need to stop what you're doing and cry! When the delivery boy is standing there, watching you eat what I sent and read my letter, that should be a red flag right there."

"So what did Prince Maxon get out of this?" Gavril asked with a large goofy grin on his face.

"We walked around the garden," that sounded pitiful.

"Well, I guess that was a win for both of you! "

"I suppose it was," I replied.

Gavril glanced off stage for a moment, "Looks like we will have to wrap this up now. It was a pleasure, Lady America."

A little too quickly I jumped up, "Thank you, Gavril."

Finally I was released to my place next to Marlee. The Report ended soon and we were allowed back to our rooms.

Aspen opened my door for me as usual.

"You were great out there, 'Mer" he half spoke and half whispered.

"I didn't look like a nervous wreck?" I asked.

"No," he paused, "You always look beautiful."

With one last look at him, I softly closed my door. I crawled into my bed and was asleep not much later.

A/N:

I am so sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter up! I was halfway done when I had to start pulling all nighters for school work, so it was put on the back burner. I was planning to work on it during Spring Break (which I've done), but my school has my laptop , which meant I had to start all over AND find a computer that I could type semi-properly on.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you did (or if you didn't) then please leave me a review! Also, each chapter will now have a song to go with it, incase you want to have a playlist that fits this story!


	3. Chapter 3

The Elite

35 girls entered the castle, but only six remain in the fight for the crown.

Chapter Three: Thirty-Two Down

Chapter Song: Endlessly by The Cab

Queen Amberly walked gracefully into the women's room followed by her entourage of maids. "Ladies," she called to the six of us, "Would you care to join me for some tea?"

Marlee, Elise, Kriss Celeste, Nathalie, and I all straightened our backs, trying to look as regal as Amberly did, and walked over to where the queen of our country sat. Maids pulled the chairs into a circle so everyone could see everyone else. One maid, who looked to be the youngest, carefully poured each of us a cup of tea.

"Well, I feel as if now is the best time to get to know each of you," Amberly said with a radiant smile, "There are so few of you now that I think I should see for myself why my son has chosen you six as the elite."

Adele must have been right about her sister being scared to get too close to us while we were still so large in numbers. Does she really see a daughter sitting in front of her? Does she already have an idea who Maxon will choose? Does she think that it will be me? Knots start to form in my stomach as the last question comes to my mind.

The Queen continued to speak, "At the moment I only know as much as the rest of the country does… and what little information my son decides to share with me about you all. How about we get to know each other a bit better?"

We all nodded politely and answered her questions.

"Lady Celeste, tell me, what are your parents like?"

Celeste laughed, "Oh, they are wonderful! I can't say that I could ask for two better parents, even when they try to be strict with me."

"I cannot say that that would have been my reply when I was your age," she smiled and turned to me, "What about you, Lady America?"

This was already worse than the live report in front of the entire country! Despite the small audience it was twice as embarrassing to speak to them. "They-they're hardworking. My dad always has paint in his hair and always acts so calm. My mother on the other hand becomes a nervous wreck sometimes. I usually work with my mother on jobs, until she bribed me to sign up for the Selection by letting me go out on my own!"

The Queen raised her eyebrows, "Your mother had to bribe you?"

"I can be quite stubborn sometimes," I explain.

She laughed, "Yes, that much Maxon has told me!"

A small blush spread across my face when she said that Maxon had talked about me. What else had he said? Did he tell her what he thought of the other girls? Did he talk about me more? Gosh, I'm acting silly. It doesn't matter to me, right? Okay, that was a lie.

"Queen, Amberly?" Marlee asked, "May I ask you question about Maxon? I think we are all at least a bit curious about what he was like as a kid!"

Damn, even her laugh sounded graceful! "Well, he wasn't a problem child, if that is what you were wanting to know. In fact, he was rather introverted, even more than he is now!" she paused, "He also liked bugs and soccer, quite a bit actually."

Marlee couldn't help but giggle in response. I smiled a bit, trying to picture Maxon staring at bugs for hours on end like my baby brother sometimes does.

At dinner Maxon was acting strange, as if he was worried about something. Occasionally he would catch me watching him and would try to force a smile. To be honest, he looked like he was about to be sick. Finally I gave in and tugged my ear as discreetly as possible. This time his smile looks a bit less forced as he returns the gesture.

Maxon stood up from his seat and cleared his throat, "Ladies, I have made the decision to send two of you home today. I believe that it is time for me to really start finalizing my choice. I would like to spend a moment with each of privately once you are done eating."

So that is what he looked sick over. My heart started to beat faster. Oh God, what if he's sending me home now? His smiles were all so forced, that had to be a sign, right?"

"Lady Nathalie?" Maxon spoke again, realizing that we all had not even touched our food since the announcement, "Would you please come with me?"

Nathalie didn't come back.

Maxon returned every few minutes, coming to get each girl one by one. Eventually I was left alone with the king and queen. Amberlee looked worried, as if she couldn't stand the thought of any of us leaving now that she had just decided to get close to us. Her husband on the other hand was looking at me in a smug way. I'm not an idiot, I know the king isn't exactly my biggest fan. Did he know who Maxon was sending home? Did he think it was me?  
After what felt like hours, Maxon pushed the door open and called for me. Shaking I stood up and followed him into an adjacent room. This was it.

"America, are you alright? You look like you are about the feint!" Clearly I am not that good at hiding my emotions.

"Who are you sending home?" I asked, completely disregarding his question.

The look on his face was almost funny, "Not you, if that's what you're worried about!"

A large pressure felt like it was lifted off of me. I let out a small sigh of relief.

"Why is it you always think I'll go back on my promise to you?" he moved closer to me, so close that I could feel the heat radiating off of his body, which was oddly muscular.

"You-you just looked like you were worried," I said while looking down at my feet.

This time he laughed, "You know I get uncomfortable around crying girls... and yes, both of them cried. I promised you time, America, and I plan to give you as much of it as I possible can!"

A smile spread across my face and I looked back up. Then I did something rash, I kissed him. Usually he kissed me, but this time it just felt right for me to kiss him. His hands found their way into my hair as he depend the kiss. I could feel the smile on his lips grow as he pressed his body closer to mine. Words can hardly describe how much I love that feeling.

All too soon we broke apart and Maxon leaned his forehead against mine. Finally I broke the silence, "Who was it?"

Maxon sighed, "I ended up sending Elise and," I desperately hoped for Celeste, "Nathalie."

Damn!

His fingers intertwined with mine, "Do you want me to walk you back to your room?" I nodded in response.

Kissing me one last time, Maxon left me at my door. The only way I could be happier is if Celeste had ended up going home. I shut the door slowly, not bothering to look at Aspen, who stood at my door, and fell down onto my bed.

A/N: Thank you for reading this chapter of my version of The Elite! I am very sorry that it took me so long to write, but I was very busy. My teachers gave us so many papers to write in a short period of time that I had about three meltdowns and I have been studying for finals like crazy. Also (prepare to be jealous for this one), I met Kiera Cass! It was pretty awesome, but it did take time away from my writing.

Thankfully tomorrow is my last final and then I am on Summer Break! This means that I can spend much more time writing this story. Yes, I do plan on finishing it, even though the actual book has been released. In the end it should have 20 chapters. Once I finish this one, I will let you all decide if I should write my fan-fic The One as a sequel to this story, or the actual The Elite book.

Once again, thank you so much for reading, and please don't forget to review, follow, and favorite. I really appreciate getting those emails. I've been trying to respond to every review, so for those of you not using an account I might post my replies either on my author page or here in the author notes!


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